


The One with the Waggly Tail

by Metal_Chocobo



Category: Women's Hockey RPF
Genre: Dogs, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-07-10 21:55:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7009768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metal_Chocobo/pseuds/Metal_Chocobo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Despite the fact Amanda was the one to adopt the dog, she found herself sharing joint custody of a Finnish Spitz with Noora.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One with the Waggly Tail

“There are a lot more options than I expected,” Amanda said, looking around the room. This was a much bigger event than she had expected and she wasn’t certain she could handle it today. If Noora hadn’t come with her she would have taken one look at this place then turned around and left. “How am I supposed to pick one dog out of this crowd?”

“You try your best. Either you find the perfect dog, several great dogs, or none at all,” Noora said. “Any of those options are fine. If the third happens, we’ll keep hunting for the right dog for you until we find it.”

“Her,” Amanda said, nodding her head as if confirming the decision for herself. “I want a girl dog.”

“And right there you have cut the potential choices in half.” Noora slung an arm around her friend’s neck and gestured at the dogs. “Let’s first walk around the room and look at all the dogs. Then we can see if any interest you in particular.”

They were at an adoption event being held in the community hall of one of Minneapolis’s many suburbs. There had to be at least one hundred dogs in here of varying ages and breeds. All of them were looking for a new home. Surely one of them would fit her lifestyle. Amanda just hoped she could figure out which one that was.

As she walked around the room with Noora at her side she noticed that a lot of the dogs were pit bulls. They were all pretty friendly and Amanda ended up playing with a few, but ultimately she knew they weren’t the dog for her. Mostly because her landlord would freak if she brought a pit bull home, but also—as Noora pointed out—their coats were too short for a Minnesota winter to be comfortable and she needed a dog willing to spend a lot of time outdoors in the cold. After all, she’d be sad if her dog was unwilling to play a little pond hockey.

“Guess I should see if there are any huskies or other critters with long coats,” Amanda sighed. “It’ll be a pain dealing with all that fur.”

“But worth it for a dog,” Noora chimed in. “If you want something a little smaller, which should be easier to handle, and amazing with people you should get a Suomenpystykorva.”

“A what?” Amanda asked, glancing at her companion. Noora pointed at a little fluffy red dog with a curly tail. “That’s a sumo-fish… you know what, I’m not even going to try to repeat what you just said.”

“Suomenpystykorva,” Noora repeated. “I don’t remember the English, but they’re great dogs. Incredibly friendly.”

The dog barked twice at them and wagged its tail as if it recognized they were talking about it. Amanda crouched down by the dog and was immediately furiously licked. Noora joined her with a grin and soon had the dog on her belly happily panting.

“This is Amanda,” the dog’s foster mom said, smiling down at the women. “She’s a young Finnish Spitz. Just a little over a year old. Housebroken and crate trained, though she isn’t very familiar with most obedience commands.”

“She has the perfect name for you, Kess,” Noora chuckled.

“No, that would have to be changed immediately,” Amanda said. “But that’s only if she’s the right dog. I mean, I don’t know anything about Finnish Spitzes. Would she even work out in an apartment?”

“If she receives adequate exercise, Amanda will do just fine in an apartment. A lot of people keep them in Helsinki.” Noora continued rubbing the dog’s belly. She looked far more excited about this dog compared to any of the others they had seen. “If I wasn’t regularly traveling internationally and splitting my year between here and Finland I’d want a Suomenpystykorva. Or maybe a Kajalankarhukoira if I was living in a house up north and planned to hunt. This little girl’s a much better companion animal.”

“If you ladies are interested in Amanda I have an adoption application here,” the foster mom said.

Amanda stood up and took the form from her. She skimmed the sheet, noting the differences between this one and the generalized form she had already completed. She really ought to move on and look at the rest of the dogs. Perhaps adopt a lab or a beagle, something she knew a lot more about and could predict its behavior.

Then she made the fatal mistake of looking back down. Noora crouched on all fours directly in front of Amanda the Finnish Spitz. In the minute since she stopped paying attention to them they had started a game of bopping each other on the nose with a paw. Both grinned up at her when they noticed they had her attention, which was when Amanda realized the decision was out of her hands.

“Fine,” Amanda grumbled, filling out the paperwork. “But I’m changing her name and that’s final.”

The soon to be no longer Amanda barked happily.

As Amanda had already filled out a general application with the adoption company and passed her home inspection, she found herself walking out of the community hall with a dog. Or to be more accurate, with Noora carrying her new dog in a crate. Initially, she thought she’d be getting the dog later that week from the foster home—and thereby get the rest of the pooch’s things at the same time—but the dog wailed when Noora tried to walk away without her. Amanda had a sneaking suspicion she had actually bought Noora a new dog.

“What are you going to name her?” Noora asked once they were securely in the car.

“I have no idea,” Amanda said. “I assumed I’d keep whatever she was already named, but I can’t do that now.”

“That is unfortunate.”

“What would you name the dog?”

“Me? I dunno… Musti or Rekku? No, not Musti.” Noora shrugged helplessly. “Shit Kess, I am bad at naming things unexpectedly.”

“Rekku sounds like a nice name.” A thought occurred to Amanda and she made darting glares at Noora. She was unable to stop and give her a proper glare because she was driving. “What does it mean? Are you trying to trick me into naming my dog dumbass?”

“Of course not!”

“Then what does it mean?”

“It’s just a quintessential dog name in Finland. I wouldn’t joke about this, especially since I’ll be shouting her name for the next four months as well. If you don’t trust the first dog names I could think of, ask Mira, or choose your own.”

“I guess Rekku isn’t too bad,” Amanda mumbled. All she could think of was naming the dog Puck, which was a little too hockey for her taste. She regretted not thinking up a suitable pet name. “We’ll call her that until I can think of something better.”

“Great,” Noora said. She twisted around in her seat to get a good look at Rekku in the backseat, still instead her carrier. “Hello Rekku. Yes, hello, Rekku, that’s a good dog.”

Rekku started barking. Noora talked to her for a few more seconds then lapsed into silence. However, the dog didn’t do the same. She kept barking. After about five minutes of frenzied yipping Amanda had enough. The dog didn’t seem like she’d be stopping any time soon.

“Can’t you make her stop?” Amanda hissed.

“I can try, but the breed barks,” Noora shrugged. With a bit of finagling she reached out and unlocked the crate. Rekku bounded out, tail wagging, and scrambled up onto the central console. She was still barking. Noora pulled the pup into her lap and stuffed her snout into her chest. “Hush.”

Rekku barked a couple more times, but then the noise subsided. Amanda sighed in relief. The dog still barked some on the rest of the drive home, but Noora was able to quickly quiet her every time. As soon as they arrived Amanda carried the new dog things up to her apartment while Noora took Rekku around the block. The dog crate went into her bedroom, toys were spread across the living room, and food and water bowls were set down in the kitchen. Amanda understood her new dog would want to investigate everything in the apartment, but she hoped she’d be willing to do it quietly when she came upstairs.

Noora came in with a happily yipping Rekku. She only dropped the leash after the front door was shut, allowing Rekku to bound over to Amanda. With the pup licking her, Amanda felt her annoyance over all the barking melting away. She was too much of an adorable fluff ball to stay angry with her.

“We barked at every squirrel, bird, and person we saw,” Noora announced. She hung the leash up on the coat rack. “Rekku also showed that her hunting instinct is fully intact. She spent the whole walk trying to dash off in one direction or another. I’ll find an obedience class for her tomorrow.”

“Great. Any other flaws you forgot to mention about the breed before I adopted her?”

“Did I mention they’re extreme people dogs?”

“Does that mean my dog has separation anxiety?” Amanda asked, dropping onto the couch. Rekku leapt onto her chest and started licking her face. “Rekku!”

“I figure one of us will be around most of the time this summer, so she can ease into her new situation. You said you were focusing on your Olympic chances and weren’t going to work a second job this fall, so she can stay with you most of the day. Maybe she can even attend your hockey games!”

Rekku barked excitedly at that. Amanda was fairly certain the dog was reacting to Noora’s emotional state. They seemed to feed off each other’s energy levels, which was going to be interesting to deal with for the rest of the summer. She wasn’t certain how long it would take her to adjust to this new chaotic situation. At least Amanda’s roommate would be moving out in a couple weeks; she was going to live with her boyfriend, since Amanda planned on leaving Minneapolis as soon as her lease ran out in August. Noora had graciously agreed to take Amy’s room and rent as soon as she left, since she needed a place for the summer, but until then she was sleeping on an inflatable mattress in Amanda’s room.

“Let’s see if she can keep up on a run and handle hockey practice before we start inviting her to games,” Amanda said diplomatically. “On that note, I think we all need some exercise before dinner.”

They went for a two-mile run. It was originally supposed to be a three-mile circuit around town, but Amanda belatedly realized Rekku wasn’t keeping up. It seemed her last family didn’t have her out doing such extreme exertions. So they cut things short, much to the little panting dog’s relief. As they were in the middle of Dinkytown, Noora suggested picking up something for dinner. Amanda agreed. She ended up waiting outside a Chinese restaurant with the dog panting at her feet while Noora went in and ordered. By the time the Finn emerged with dinner in hand Rekku had recovered enough they were able to walk the last leg of the run home.

Dinner went over fairly well, except when Rekku pulling the mushu pork off the table. This was frustrating for Amanda because that was supposed to be her main dish and she had fed the dog before getting out her own dinner. Noora wedged the pup between them on the couch, which kept Rekku from supplementing her diet with any more Chinese, and shared her order with Amanda. They watched a few hours of TV then took Rekku out one last time before going to bed.

While Noora’s mattress took up all of her floor, it was actually a pretty nice arrangement for Amanda. After years of team road trips she slept best when she fell asleep listening to someone breathing. Plus in the morning having Noora shift about getting ready for work always work her up in time for her pre-class run. She hoped Rekku would help her with both problems once they were living in New York this fall. Amanda hadn’t signed the paperwork yet, but she was basically guaranteed a slot on the Riveters this season and was simply waiting for free agency to start for her to sign.

She settled under her covers with an arm around Rekku. So far the dog had been cuddly enough Amanda figured she’d be willing to sleep with her as well, but after a moment the dog rose and hopped out of bed. Amanda sat up and tried to track the dog’s movements in the dark. Nails clicked across the wooden floor, paused, and then she heard a light thud. Noora groaned. Then there was a pop, a hiss, and a loud thud. Noora swore as Rekku barked. Amanda flipped on her nightstand lamp. Noora lay in a tangled heap on a mostly deflated air mattress. Rekku perched on her chest barking rapidly.

“That’s what you get for stealing my dog,” Amanda said.

“She came here of her own volition and broke my bed,” Noora protested. She gently wrapped a hand around Rekku’s muzzle and pushed it shut. “Hush Rekku.”

When Noora let go Rekku indeed stopped barking and licked her face. Sighing, Noora lifted the dog and set her back in Amanda’s bed. She returned to her former bed and picked up a few blankets, mumbling something about sleeping on the couch. As soon as she opened the door Rekku launched off the bed to dance around Noora’s feet. She tried to slip past the dog, but that just set Rekku off on another barking spree.

“I guess you’re sleeping with me. Rekku’s spoken,” Amanda laughed. She patted her mattress. “Come on up. If I’ve gotta use you as bait to get the dog in bed I’m not above doing that.”

“And here I thought you cared about me,” Noora said, sliding into bed.

“Nope. Just the dog,” Amanda laughed.

There was a bit of shifting and fumbling around in the bed. It wasn’t a particularly large one—it was the same mattress Amanda had slept on as a kid because she had never gotten around to buying a new one—so it took a while to figure out the most comfortable sleeping arrangement. Rekku tried to settle on the pillows between them, which neither woman tolerated. Eventually Amanda found herself wedged between Noora and Rekku. The Finn wasn’t quite spooning her, while Rekku was pressed into Amanda’s belly with her nose in her pressed into a thigh. She’d probably overheat by morning, but it was surprisingly comfortable.

They fell into a pattern. Every morning Noora got up absurdly early for her pre-work run, on which Rekku accompanied her. She’d then make breakfast and Amanda would crawl out of bed in time to eat with them before Noora left for work. Then she’d study and play with Rekku until it was time for class. Since she was a senior she only had a couple of classes a day and generally made it back to the apartment by early afternoon. Rekku then accompanied Amanda on her daily run, which there was no reason to perform at the crack of dawn, usually with Hannah, Lee, and a few of the other girls from the team. After that it was homework until Noora got home. They’d eat, attend obedience class or run errands, watch TV, and go to bed.

Noora was still sleeping in Amanda’s bed. The dog threw a fit every time she tried to sleep anywhere else. Amanda didn’t like to think about what that meant for the fall, but for now it was easier to give into the dog’s demands. Amy asked if this meant they were dating now and didn’t believe Amanda when she said no, but she didn’t press it. Honestly, it was harder dodging the knowing looks Lee and Hannah constantly shot her after finding out about their exact sleeping arrangement. No one seemed to understand how hard it was to shut Rekku up once she started barking.

Things remained the same after graduation, except Amy’s things left the apartment. If the situation wasn’t so ephemeral, Amanda would insist on Noora getting them a bigger mattress, or else a second one, because they regularly woke entangled or with limbs hanging off the bed. Constantly being this close was stirring up a lot of feelings for her that she hadn’t thought about in years, which was more than a little uncomfortable. She thought she had gotten over her silly freshman crush years ago. At least she didn’t stare at Noora the way Rekku did.

That dog looked at Noora like she hung the stars in the sky. They both took Rekku to puppy training, but the commands were always better heeded when they came from Noora. Part of that was because Noora was simply more patient working Rekku through her commands—she had a firm unhurried manner that brooked no room for arguments and heaped praise on her when she did the right thing—than Amanda. The other part of was that her dog had obviously bonded with Noora. A lot of dogs had one special person and, while it hurt a little that she wasn’t Rekku’s special someone, she was happy it was Noora. It showed her dog had good taste.

Noora’s taste was often questionable, but for once Amanda was totally down with her birthday plans. She requested a low-key backyard cookout with cake and left the rest of the planning to Mira and Amanda, which meant there wouldn’t have to be tacky decorations this year. Amanda still cringed when she remembered the cake decorator’s look of disbelief when she explained the Minions themed cake was for a twenty-six year old last year. Mira ordered this year’s cake, Angry Birds with letter and numeral candles, to avoid Amanda any more trauma.

They ended up celebrating in Mira’s backyard. Since Memorial Day was the next day, and neither Mira nor Em, Mira’s wife, wanted to host two cookouts on the same weekend, they rolled the events into one. That meant there were more rugby players there than Noora would have invited, but all of Em’s friends were pretty cool. The combo event meant Hannah had to run out to Cub for two more cakes, but otherwise it went off without a hitch. Rekku got to attend as well and she soaked up all the attention she got for being the only dog at the party.

“Kess, I don’t know how we’re going to give that dog enough attention after this,” Noora said, as she watched six women rub the Finnish Spitz’s belly. 

“I think we’ll manage,” Amanda replied. “Rekku likes anonymous adoration, but she prefers our attention.” Mira snorted and shook her head, but Noora seemed to agree with that assessment.

“Rekku,” Noora called and then whistled. The dog rolled over, bounced to them, and leaped in Noora’s arms. Amanda felt another twinge of jealousy as she watched the pair, but it disappointed when Rekku twisted around in Noora’s arms so that she could lean over and lick Amanda’s chin.

“I still can’t believe you actually named the dog Rekku,” Mira snickered.

“Shut up, Jalis,” Noora said, but there was no bite to her words.

“Oh god, I knew it,” Amanda said, pulling Rekku out of Noora’s arms and pressing her to her chest. The little dog was thrilled by this change because she could lick her face. “Noora tricked me into naming my dog dipshit in Finnish, didn’t she?”

“No, no,” Mira assured her as Noora protested her innocence. “Rekku doesn’t mean anything bad, it’s just an incredibly generic dog name. Like Spot or Rover.”

“I assumed Amanda already had a name picked out and wasn’t expecting to be creative,” Noora snapped. “If you’re so good at naming things, why don’t you try naming something on the fly?”

“I’m just impressed you didn’t name her Musti,” Mira continued. “It is the dog name.”

“I would never!” Noora spluttered. She pointed at Rekku. “That is not a black dog!”

At this Rekku started barking furiously. Amanda didn’t know if she was protesting Noora’s color critique, her tone, body, language, or if she just saw a squirrel. Just about anything could set the dog off. Amanda was fairly certain she just loved to bark and used any excuse to do it. Especially since it got her more attention from Noora, which was exactly what was happening right now.

“Rekku, Rekku,” Noora crooned, bending down to touch noses with the Finnish Spitz. She lightly wrapped her hands around the dog’s neck and stroked her cheeks. “Shh Rekku. Yes, we know you’re the King of the Barkers. You don’t need to prove it right now. Shh.”

In seconds the little dog’s barking slowed and then stopped while Noora continued monologue to her. With a huff Rekku threw her head against Amanda’s chest as if barking wasn’t worth the effort anymore. Noora straightened and winked at Amanda like she had just performed a magic trick. She basically had. It still took Amanda minutes to calm Rekku.

“Shall I get us some cake?” Noora offered.

“Please.”

Amanda found herself unable to look away as Noora strolled over to the buffet table. She cut a fine figure in her tank top and shorts. It showed off most of her tattoos, including the gecko on her left calf, which Amanda knew there was a story behind, but Noora refused to tell her. That meant it was probably embarrassing and highlighted poorer judgment than the time Noora crossed the Mexican border without her passport.

“I’m glad you two have been doing so well living in each other’s pockets,” Em said, startling Amanda out of her absent-minded staring at Noora’s posterior. She hadn’t realized Em was there. “Of course we would have put her up if we had to, but between the wedding and moving into this place a houseguest would have caused friction.”

“It’s no problem. Noora and I are besties,” Amanda said. She glanced at Mira, who just smiled serenely. “I mean, not like you and Noora, but we’re close in our own way.”

“I should hope not,” Mira said. Em tugged on her shirt and she bent down to kiss her. “I’m all Em’s and she doesn’t like to share.”

“We’re not like that.” Amanda felt her face heat and she knew that made it look like she was lying, but it was just embarrassment. Half the team thought she was having sex with Noora, but Mira was the first to actually say something. In a lot of ways it was funny she was the one to broach the topic because didn’t typically talk about this sort of thing. “I mean, we’re just friends.”

“Who have a dog together.”

“Rekku’s mine… she just likes Noora better.”

“Which is why you’re sleeping together.”

“It’s just sleeping. Like, no sex whatsoever.”

“Maybe you should change that,” Em suggested. Mira wrapped an arm around her waist and Em patted her chest as they shared a smile. “We find it’s significantly improved our relationship.”

“I don’t think Noora…” Amanda trailed off, unsure how to even begin explaining why that wouldn’t work.

“You don’t think Noora would what?” Noora asked. She held two paper plates loaded with cake and had a bottle of beer in each armpit. She waved cake at Amanda, careful to keep it away from Rekku’s grasping mouth. “Set her down. The beer is freezing my pits.”

Amanda did as requested. Rekku sat down at her feet and stared pitifully up at the cake. In their few short weeks of companionship Amanda had grown resistant to the dog’s begging and she refused to share the chocolate cake or beer; neither of which would have been good for the dog. However, Rekku was ever hopeful and continued her campaign for food, so Amanda had to ignore her. Refocusing her attention on Noora was a mistake.

“What didn’t you think I would do?” Noora repeated, prompting Amanda to finish her previous sentiment.

“I didn’t think you wanted to go see Zootopia with me since you’ve already seen it,” Amanda said, grasping at the first thing that popped into her head. Children’s movies were always a safe topic and Noora was usually interested enough in them she’d buy that her friends were actively discussing them without her.

“Nonsense, it was a fantastic movie and I would love to see it again! Judy Hopps has exactly the sort of mentality I live my life by and I adored Clawhauser. Want to go see it tomorrow night?”

“Okay,” Amanda agreed. She couldn’t exactly say no and from what she had heard about the film it was better than most of the films Noora dragged her to.

“It’s a date.” Noora saluted her with her beer bottle.

Amanda felt the blush coming back and she refused to look at Mira and Em. It was just an idiom and Noora had spent enough time in this country with the team to have picked it up. She didn’t mean anything by it. She focused very hard on finishing her cake and by the time she was done Noora had moved on to socialize. Rekku was still waiting patiently at her feet. She wagged her tail when she noticed she had her attention and that was enough to make Amanda smile.

Zootopia was far better than Amanda imagined. She laughed more than she had at any other film that year, but it was nothing compared to Noora’s obvious enjoyment. She kept clapping and muffling high pitched noises that sounded a little like Rekku when she was so excited Amanda worried she’d wag her tail off. When it was over Noora immediately launched them into a lively discussion over what type of animals they were, which she kept going until they were in bed. She seemed fairly certain Amanda was a rabbit, while she was a polar bear. After the first hour Amanda stopped arguing. It was more enjoyable to simply listen to Noora babble.

After that Noora started taking Amanda to the movies every week. It was their only shared outing Rekku didn’t accompany them for. Sometimes Hannah, Mira and Em, or some of their other friends accompanied them, but it was mostly just the pair of them. Soon Amanda came to relish the trips, partly because it was fun to see the films, but she had to admit to herself that watching Noora watch movies was just as much of a draw (for Angry Birds the Movie it was the only draw). They kept this tradition up until the skills camp.

It was not Amanda’s first time instructing, but it was her first time running a development camp. Mira was in the same boat. Noora spearheaded the entire thing because she had run this particular camp twice before in this location, but this was her first time expanding it beyond goaltending. At first they had to muddle through a little, since they were juggling three different age bracketed camps, but before they hit their stride before stepping onto ice. 

It helped that they all knew each other so well they could anticipate their strengths and weaknesses when it came to teaching. Amanda soon realized how Noora had learned to be such a good dog whisperer; she used the same techniques on the girls. She kept a firm grip on the situation, which prevented them from accidentally injuring themselves or others. Mira was surprisingly gentle with all the little girls in the U10 camp and Amanda could she’d be a great mom when she eventually got around to having kids. She knew Mira and Em eventually planned on having some, though she personally was just happy with a dog. As for her own style, Amanda preferred teaching through actions over words since she got tongue tied with all those eyes staring at her. Luckily, everyone seemed too awed by her skills to ask too many questions and Noora handled most of the parental interactions.

The skills camp was such a success kids begged them to run it again next year and adults were asking for one of their own. Amanda didn’t know where she’d be or what she’d be doing next year, but if the others were up for it she’d be happy to do it again. For the last day of camp Rekku came along and spent most of it following Noora around like a duckling. She was most put out when she was confined to the penalty box during the skate and only slightly mollified by Noora carrying her around the rink a few times after the kids left. Amanda had to laugh at how the Finnish Spitz completely ignored Noora in favor of her on the car ride back to Mira’s for a celebratory dinner. However, at bedtime Rekku barked until Noora climbed into bed with them. Amanda figured that meant Noora had been forgiven.

When August drew to a close it was time for Amanda and Rekku to move to New York. To her shock Noora came with them. The Finn quickly explained it was only temporary and she was still headed to Finland for the hockey season. However, Noora loved road trips and this year she hadn’t managed one with Mira, so it seemed fitting to accompany Amanda on her drive across half the country. She also figured Amanda would appreciate having someone to switch off the driving with, dog wrangle as needed, and another pair of hands to help her move in was always a good thing.

Rekku was thrilled to have the three of them packed in Amanda’s car for two days. Amanda was only slightly less happy about the situation than her dog. She’d been dreading Noora’s departure for weeks. Not only because it would devastate Rekku, but she’d miss her too. They had always been friends and the last four months had cemented it into something deeper and stronger for Amanda. 

As they drove across Ohio Amanda kept glancing over at Noora as she sang Taylor Swift with Rekku, off key and at top volume, while dancing in the passenger seat. That was the moment she finally admitted to herself she was in love with Noora. Or perhaps still in love with her. She was a little fuzzy on the details, but Amanda was fully prepared to hate Finland for taking Noora away.

Hannah didn’t say a word when Amanda arrived at the new apartment with Noora in tow. She just nodded and started hauling boxes up three flights of stairs, however Amanda knew she’d need to explain later. She hadn’t explained to her new roommate that Noora was part of the package, at least for a few days. Once all their things were shoved into their proper rooms—Amanda had carted most of Hannah’s stuff in the moving trailer along with her things, it seemed the most cost efficient measure since she had to get her car and dog to New York anyway—they celebrated with pizza. Then Noora had to wreck the festive mood by announcing her international flight was in a week

At least Rekku got a few blissful days in her new home with her entire family before Noora left. Amanda wanted to enjoy their time together, but she just had a cloud of despair hanging over her. Noora must be able to tell how bummed Amanda was, but she put on a brave face and made Amanda laugh as much as possible as they explored New York with Hannah (and Rekku where it was allowed).

Then Noora left and everything went to hell. Well, to be fair it wasn’t quite everything—training camp went without a hitch and Amanda’s hockey sense improved every time she stepped on the ice—but it certainly felt that way most of the time. Rekku was as mopey as a Finnish Spitz could get and turned all of her spare energy to destructive pursuits. 

Amanda started coming home to shredded papers, toys, clothing, and anything else Rekku could get her maw on. She had to start crating the little dog again, which she hadn’t had to do since the second week Rekku had been with her. That meant the dog acted out even worse when she was finally released from the crate. Having grown up with a dog Hannah was remarkable understanding about the situation and simply said it was obvious Rekku missed Noora terribly, but Amanda still felt incredibly guilty whenever her dog attacked Hannah’s things. Ultimately Amanda had to run with Rekku every day until she was too exhausted to move, which left her exhausted as well, but at least she was building amazing calves.

Rekku wasn’t Amanda’s only problem. She was having trouble sleeping. Without Noora’s breath on her neck or radiating warmth she couldn’t relax like she had and spent half the night tossing and turning. Part of the reason she wanted Rekku in the first place was for her to be a nighttime companion, but after having Noora the little dog simply wasn’t enough. Eating was also a problem, but that was because everything was expensive in New York—she had a lot of issues balancing her budget and had to rely on Phil far more than she’d like and Hannah was in an even worse situation—so buying healthy was difficult and making it taste well impossible. 

Finally there was New York itself, which while delightful to visit, was a nightmare to live. She constantly got lost, the subway was awful, and she kept getting interviewed by members of the media. Amanda hated talking to the press almost as much as Phil, no one hated them more than him, but unlike her brother she didn’t have the luxury of turning them down. She needed the exposure and the league needed any coverage it could get if women’s hockey wanted to grow as a sport. So she sucked it up and answered the reporters’ questions as well as she could, even if she wasn’t being completely honest with them all the time, and ignored the pit of snakes in her stomach. Noora was much more natural with the media and during most of her conversations Amanda’d wish she was here fielding the questions instead. At least she got to go home to Rekku afterward and distress, while Noora was stuck on her own.

The bright spot in Amanda’s life was that the New York Riveters were a far more successful hockey team compared this year. They were still in the bottom half of the league, but all the games were close. Having Amanda and Hannah on the first line invigorated the Riveters’ offensive capability. With a game still left to be played in December the team had almost matched last year’s goal total of forty and the first line was responsible for half of them.

With their work schedule in place neither Amanda nor Hannah had time to fly home for the holidays. After months of back and forth they finally got their parents to agree that it didn’t make sense for them to come home, nor should they fly out to New York. Phil had games on either side of the NHL’s holiday break in California, which was the only way Amanda managed to convince her folks to spend the holiday there with him. She didn’t know what magic Hannah worked on her parents to keep them back in Minnesota, but it must have been huge. The Brandts’ other daughter was in South Korea with her husband.

Since they were both free from familial obligation Amanda and Hannah agreed to attend the team holiday dinner thing and otherwise laze around in the apartment. Maybe take Rekku to Central Park to see the sights, since that was as far from their usual park as possible. They agreed to exchange fairly minor gifts, no more than $50 total, but as they got closer to the event Hannah seemed to develop a mysterious smile whenever they talked about Christmas. Amanda worried that meant she’d try and loophole her way out of the deal by giving Rekku some absurdly expensive pet bed or something, which would make her feel terribly cheap to not reciprocate in kind. 

On Christmas Eve Amanda went for her morning run with Rekku and Hannah, but as soon as it was over her roommate had to borrow her car for a mysterious errand. Of course Amanda let her, but she was deathly curious about what it was. An hour later Hannah still wasn’t back, so Amanda gave up waiting for her and went to a friend’s to hang out. When she returned Hannah was back with the largest shit-eating grin on her face. Obviously something was up. Amanda hoped she hadn’t saran wrapped all her things, which happened to be a time honored Gopher prank she wouldn’t consider Hannah past pulling.

“What’s up?” Amanda asked, hanging her coat up on the rack. She whistled for Rekku, but the dog didn’t come. She frowned. Normally the Finnish Spitz came trotting up without any prompting the moment she came inside and with Hannah home she wouldn’t be crated. “Where’s Rekku?”

“My room,” Hannah said. She looked down at the magazine in her hands while acting suspiciously innocent.

“Really. Why aren’t you in there with her then? I thought she was banned from your room after she shredded that ten page letter you were writing your grandma.”

“She’s got amnesty for the day,” Hannah shrugged. “Consider it her Christmas present.”

“Okay, what are you hiding?” Amanda demanded, narrowing her eyes. Something was definitely off and her friend seemed almost gleeful about it.

“Lots of things, but I’m not sharing any of them with you right now,” Hannah grinned. Amanda wanted to argue the point further, but an alarm went off on Hannah’s phone. She glanced at the screen and dropped her magazine. “We gotta go now, Kess, if we don’t want to miss our dinner reservations. Grab your purse and I’ll get Rekku.”

“But I need to change,” Amanda protested. Her clothes were nice, but they weren’t fancy outdoor Brazilian restaurant in the dead of New York winter nice.

“Tough! Should have gotten back sooner!” Hannah shouted from behind her closed door.

Amanda hastily threw on her nicest sweater as she heard Hannah wrangling the dog. From the sound of things Rekku was fighting tooth and nail to stay in Hannah’s room, which was also weird because she wasn’t that interested in her. One of the nicest things about living with Hannah, besides her being easy going and one of Amanda’s best friends, was that Rekku definitely preferred Amanda over her.

Eventually Hannah emerged from her room panting. She triumphantly held up the wriggling dog who seemed dead set on returning to Hannah’s room. Amanda was not impressed.

“If she wants to stay in there so badly why don’t we let her?” Amanda asked. “I can crate her in there no problem.”

“No way. We specifically reserved a spot on their outdoor on their fancy heated patio so that Rekku could join us. We’re bringing the dog.”

Amanda couldn’t argue that. She clipped on Rekku’s leash and they headed out. Luckily the mild argument was forgotten as soon as they left the building. The humans joked and discussed their teammates all the way to the restaurant. Rekku dug her heels in the entire way, which left Amanda wondering if there was something wrong with the dog. She made a mental note to schedule a vet appointment as soon as the holiday was over.

They were the last of their party to arrive and therefore had the shortest wait. Once they reached their table Amanda clipped Rekku’s leash to her fancy iron wrought chair and let her circle around. Since there were seven of them in the party they got a large circular table. Amanda thought it weird Hannah chose to leave an empty chair next between them, but happily moved to it, and moved Rekku’s leash, when Janine asked if she could sit between Amanda and Jamie. Hannah made a face at Amanda’s actions, which Amanda ignored. However, Hannah went on to save the seat on her other side, despite the fact Bray wanted it. A moment of intense staring and Bray backed off, so Amanda assumed Hannah had secretly invited someone else to dinner. She hoped it was someone awesome and unexpected, like Mandy Leveille or Megan Bozek.

They just ordered their appetizers when Rekku suddenly broke free of her leash. Amanda was on her feet in an instant, but the dog was already yards away bounding over the patio wall. At least the patio was on the ground floor, unlike some of the rooftop patios she had seen recently, but she couldn’t easily follow. By the time she could make it out the front door Rekku could be blocks away. This was literally Amanda’s worst fear with Rekku; the dog only returned when Noora called her and didn’t heed anyone else on that specific command. She regularly had daymares of dropping the leash and losing Rekku forever.

“Rekku! Rekku!” Amanda shrieked, pulling a chair over to the barrier so that she could scale it. “Rekku, come back, puppy girl!”

Amanda dimly registered Hannah getting up, but she was over the wall before she could reach her. As soon as she landed in a snow bank she started calling for Rekku again, focusing all her attention at ankle height where her dog ought to be. Skittering back and forth she knew she ought to pick a direction before Rekku was well and wholly lost, but fear of choosing the wrong one paralyzed her and she couldn’t leave the area.

“Is this your dog?”

Amanda whirled around to find Noora standing there holding a wagging Rekku. Both looked smug and delighted. Amanda’s first impulse was to slug Noora, but she went with her second and hugged her instead. Noora laughed and rubbed her back, but it was more nervous than Amanda remembered it usually being. She didn’t care though and instead simply focused on the fact Noora had Rekku and she was safe.

“When she leaped over the wall I thought I had lost her for good,” Amanda sniffed. As if understanding the stress she had put her human through Rekku gently licked Amanda’s face.

“I’m sorry you had to worry like that,” Noora murmured. “She must have heard me whistling and came running. I didn’t even think about the fact it’s the same fight song I use to call her.”

“What are you even doing here?” Amanda asked, pulling away.

“Running late for dinner?” Noora offered with a winning smile. At Amanda’s stare she added, “I thought it would be fun to spend the holidays in New York and Hannah said you two would be thrilled to have me.”

“And you didn’t tell me,” Amanda said flatly. Noora cringed.

“I thought it would be better as a surprise? Hannah agreed, since I wasn’t sure until last week if I would be able to get a flight or not. Didn’t want to get Rekku’s hopes up.”

“Rekku’s hopes?” While it was true Rekku reacted to Noora’s name, she was a dog with no concept of international flights or the future.

“I didn’t want to get mine up either. I’ve missed all of you, but especially her,” Noora explained, scratching the dog’s head. “It’s been hard to fall asleep without her to cuddle with.”

“She’s missed you too,” Amanda agreed, though she knew quite well that the dog usually slept against her and not Noora, even when the Finn was around.

“I know. Rekku was all over me when I first arrived.”

“Wait, you were in the apartment?” Amanda asked, belatedly realizing she must have been Hannah’s mysterious morning errand. She punched Noora in the shoulder. “You were hiding in Hannah’s room!”

“I wasn’t hiding, I was dealing with jet leg!” Noora protested. “Hannah offered me her room for a nap.”

“Are you planning on sleeping in Hannah’s room for your whole visit?”

“Only if you’re not willing to let me sleep with you.”

“And Rekku.”

“And Rekku,” Noora agreed, smiling. Amanda found herself smiling as well. 

Noora’s free hand found its way to one of Amanda’s hands. As they stared at each other Noora slowly moved closer. There was a funny look on her face and Amanda wondered if she was going to kiss her. She certainly wanted to kiss her. When they were close enough Rekku’s wagging tail gently batted Amanda’s side Noora stopped. She licked her lips then leaned in toward Amanda.

“Guys, would you hurry up and get in here?” Hannah called just as Noora’s lips brushed against Amanda. “The food’s getting cold and we’d like to eat.”

Amanda whirled around to see Hannah merrily staring at her from over the wall. She must have climbed up on the chair Amanda used to scale the wall. From the grin on her face Amanda knew Hannah had witnessed everything. Also, she was cold, shivering in fact. In her haste to capture Rekku Amanda had left her winter coat on the heated patio and this sweater was not cutting it. So without a word to Hannah, Amanda grabbed Noora’s hand and dragged her to the front of the restaurant.

Once they were inside Amanda paused just before they’d reach their friends. She kissed Noora soundly. Then, while Noora was still stuck on Amanda’s kiss, Amanda dragged her in to see the rest of the gang. Hannah had already moved over a seat so that Noora could sit between them. Amanda retied Rekku to her chair as Noora went through several minutes of introductions with the other Riveters. Finally though they were both seated and Amanda was unable to stop herself from frequently glancing over to see if Noora was really there.

“You like what you see?” Noora teased when she caught Amanda looking for the fourth time.

“Yes,” Amanda replied honestly.

“Good.” There was a silence as they both ate and listened to the conversation around them. Then Noora turned back to her friend. “Kess, how would you feel if I was able to sign with an American league next year? The SPHL, which I almost joined last year, is expanding and the ECHL is another possibility. We’d still be in different cities, but it would be a lot easier to visit.”

“Rekku would love it,” Amanda said. She felt an impossibly wide grin stretch across her face and to her delight she could see the same expression on Noora’s face. Picking up her wine glass Amanda gently clinked it against Noora’s glass in silent celebration of the future.


End file.
